Pumpkin Crepe Cake with White Chocolate Ganache

There are times when I have a grand vision for a recipe and it falls a bit short. I have to admit that this is one of those times. However, this tasted way too good not to share, so its imperfect exterior should not be a deterrent from trying it out. I have been seeing crepe cakes around the blogosphere and I happen to be married to one of the world’s best makers of crepes, so I wanted to give it a try. If you have seen the perfect towers of beauty on other blogs, just look away and imagine eating the cake instead of looking at it…

Definitely not perfection. Delicious, nonetheless. To make a crepe cake you need about 15 crepes which have completely cooled. I strong-armed Harrison into making his crepes, and for 15 it took about 2 1/2 batches. Use your favorite recipe or buy pre-made crepes. Whatever you like. Stack up the cooled crepes with a thin layer of pumpkin buttercream between each layer, chill, and then drizzle on the white chocolate ganache. Chill again, then serve. It is carbo overload heaven.

In a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger until the butter is smooth. Add in 3 cups of the sugar, beating after the addition of each cup, and then mix in the pumpkin. Add additional sugar until you have a thick but easy-to-spread frosting consistency.

Note: the buttercream started to “weep” a bit after several hours, so when I make this again I will first drain off some excess liquid from the pumpkin puree–to do this, just line a strainer with a paper towel and let the pumpkin drain for about 20 minutes. If you are planning to serve and eat the cake within a couple of hours this should not be an issue.